On August 5th, at 10:31 pm PDT, NASA will attempt to land Curiosity — a one-ton, six-wheel-drive, nuclear-powered super-laboratory — on the surface of Mars. It is the most scientifically advanced rover ever built. It will be the most technically impressive landing procedure ever attempted. You do not want to miss this.

Remember: the landing itself isn't happening until August 5th at 10:31 pm Pacific (that's 1:31 a.m., August 6 for your East Coasters). The rover is scheduled to enter the top of Mars' atmosphere at speeds in excess of 13,000 miles per hour, at which point it will decelerate, descend, and land on the planet's surface all within a span of just seven minutes.

NASA engineers call these "The Seven Minutes of Terror," and with good reason; Curosity's entry, descent and landing (EDL) is the most face-meltingly awesome, ambitious, and difficult we've ever attempted. Even more nerve-wracking: because it takes fourteen minutes for communications sent by Curiosity to reach Earth, the rover will have been on the surface of Mars for seven whole minutes before we have any idea if it's arrived safely or not. Just watch:

It's going to be freaking wild, people. Curiosity is going to be lowered to the planet's surface using a rocket-powered sky crane, for crying out loud. So come Sunday night, you'll want to be in one of four places:

2. New York City

If you're anywhere near New York City, you can gather with thousands upon thousands of your closest friends in Times Square to watch the landing live on the city's ginormous LED TV screen. The broadcast will begin Sunday night at at 11:30 p.m. and run until 4:00 a.m. Monday bright and early. Touchdown is scheduled for 1:31 in the morning.

4. The Internets!

Universe Today, Google, CosmoQuest and the SETI Institute are also sponsoring a Google+ Hangout featuring Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait, Fraser Cain and Pamela Gay, along with special guests. If you've never sat in on one of these G+ astronomy hangouts before, now's the perfect time check one out — you won't be disappointed. It's set to kick off on August 5th at 11:00 p.m. EDT and run through 3 a.m. EDT the morning of August 6th. You'll find more info on Universe Today.

Pre- and Post-landing Coverage

Starting tomorrow, NASA will be holding news briefings at JPL and broadcasting them live on NASA Television. The schedule of events is listed below, and is also available over at NASA. All times are PDT.